Technology

The use of technology in audio, video and electronic format is increasingly becoming a necessary component of society. When using these multimedia formats it is important to ensure that people with disabilities will be able to gain the same experience as people without disabilities. With so much information available about the use of technology, you can become easily confused and overwhelmed. Listed below are helpful resources. For more information about workplace accommodations, click here.

Technology Resources

• Specialty Keyboards This is a site where you can purchase a wide variety of computer keyboards.
• Speech Recognition Software Dragon Naturally Speaking is the most widely used speech to text software.
• Speech Technology This is a magazine that provides information on speech technology.
• Trace Center Resources and Tools This organization is an excellent source for information on all types of accessible technology.

Internet Resources

• Accessibility Toolkit Developed by the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the toolkit provides guidance on ensuring that digital programs and experiences are accessible to all. While the toolikit was developed for museums, it has broad applicability.
• Accessibility Testing Tools and Practices Automated tools and manual methods for testing web content for accessibility, including for mobile devices.
• Nielson Norman Group This website describes how to make the Internet easy to use for users with disabilities. 
• Wave This is a tool that allows you to validate your web pages to test if they are in compliance with accessibility guidelines.
• Web Accessibility Initiatives, WAI (part of w3c Standards) This link provides rules and regulations for creating web pages that are accessible to audiences with disabilities.
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3C) These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities and offers all the necessary tools.

Video Resources

• Creating Video and Multimedia Products This is a website that provides knowledge and resources on how to create products that are accessible to people with sensory impairments.
• Media Access Group This is an umbrella organization which consists of three smaller service organizations: The Caption Center, Descriptive Video Services (DVS), and the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM). This group of pioneers develops accessible media for people with disabilities. They are experts on the subject of video media access.
• The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) This organization provides information on captioning and sign language.

Audio Resources

• National Captioning Institute (NCI) This is a nonprofit corporation that provides captioning, subtitling and audio description for broadcast and cablecast television programs, home video programs, TV commercials, corporations and government agencies.
• Narrative Television Network This is a leader in making television and movies accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.
• Washington Ear This is an organization that provides audio-description, training, and services for people who need audio representation of printed material.